"Drink this," Mai said, holding out a beaker filled with bubbling purple liquid. "It tastes like grape soda and existential dread."
I sat on the edge of the steel table, buttoning my shirt with trembling fingers. My hand wasn't black anymore. It was pale, smooth, and felt completely numb.
"What is it?" I asked, eyeing the concoction.
"A cocktail of slime mucus, crushed mana crystals, and... a few secret ingredients," she winked. "It will coat your internal organs in a mana-resistant film. The Void won't be able to eat anything for 48 hours."
Forty-eight hours of life. It was a bargain.
I took the beaker. I chugged it.
It did not taste like grape soda. It tasted like battery acid mixed with ghost peppers.
"Gah!" I gagged, wiping my mouth. "That was awful."
"Give it a second," Mai grinned.
Suddenly, a shiver ran down my spine.
It started at my neck and shot down to my toes. Every nerve ending in my body lit up like a Christmas tree.
The cotton of my shirt suddenly felt like sandpaper. The air from the ventilation fan felt like rough hands dragging across my skin.
"Why..." I gasped, hugging myself. "Why does my shirt feel like it's made of cactus?"
"Side effect," Mai shrugged, jotting down notes. "To block the Void, I had to overstimulate your sensory input. Your skin is currently about... fifty times more sensitive than a normal human's."
She reached out and poked my arm with one finger.
"Ah!" I jumped off the table, my knees buckling.
To anyone watching, it looked like I had just been tased. To me, it felt like she had injected liquid pleasure-pain directly into my bicep.
"Fascinating," Mai hummed. "Even a light touch registers as intense stimulation. You might want to avoid... strong breezes."
(You could have told me that before I drank it!)
"I must go," I wheezed, grabbing my coat. Putting it on felt like wrapping myself in a blanket of needles and silk. "My disciple waits."
"Remember our deal, Renji," Mai called out as I stumbled toward the exit ladder. "Come back next week. Or whenever you start rotting again."
The walk home was torture.
Every raindrop that hit my face felt like a slap. Every brush of a passerby's sleeve sent a jolt of electricity through my nervous system.
By the time I reached my apartment door, I was sweating profusely and breathing like I had run a marathon.
I fumbled with my keys. The metal felt ice-cold and jagged.
Click.
I opened the door and collapsed into the entryway.
"Master!"
Runa was there instantly. She looked like she hadn't slept. Her eyes were red, and she was clutching her sword like a lifeline.
"You returned!" She dropped the sword and lunged for a hug.
"STOP!" I screamed.
Runa froze mid-air, looking hurt.
(If you hug me right now, I will pass out from sensory overload. I might actually die of pleasure, which sounds fun but is very embarrassing.)
I leaned against the wall, panting. I needed a lie. Why was I gone all night? Why was I sweating? Why couldn't she touch me?
"Do not... approach me," I gasped, holding up a hand. "I have just returned from the Astral Plane."
Runa's eyes went wide. "The Astral Plane?"
"I needed to meditate," I lied, closing my eyes to stop the room from spinning. "I projected my soul into the dimension of pure energy to stabilize my core. My physical body... is still vibrating from the reentry."
I opened one eye.
"I am currently hypersensitive to this reality. The density of the air... the texture of matter... it is all too crude for my ascended form."
(I am literally allergic to my own pants right now.)
Runa covered her mouth, tears welling up again.
"You ascended to a higher dimension just to heal yourself? And you returned to this filthy world... for me?"
[Target Status: Awestruck.] [Desire Points Gained: +150.]
"Yes," I said, peeling myself off the wall. "Now, I need to go to my room and lay on the smoothest surface possible. Do not disturb me."
"Understood!" Runa whispered. "I will silence the world for you!"
She tiptoed away, moving slower than a sloth to avoid making air currents.
I crawled to my futon. The sheets felt rough, but manageable. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the hypersensitivity to fade.
Life was pain. But at least I wasn't rotting.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
A shrill alarm cut through the silence. It wasn't my alarm clock. It was the Emergency Broadcast System on Runa's phone.
And my phone. And the TV.
"Attention citizens," a robotic voice announced from every device in the room.
I groaned, rolling over. The movement sent sparks down my spine.
"What now?"
Runa turned on the TV.
Breaking News banners flashed in red and black. A helicopter shot showed the Shinjuku Central Park.
Or rather, what used to be the park.
A massive, swirling vortex of black and purple energy had torn open the sky. It was easily fifty meters wide. Monsters were already pouring out—not goblins, but massive, armored beasts.
The text on the screen read:
[EMERGENCY: S-RANK GATE DETECTED.] [LOCATION: SHINJUKU.] [EVACUATION ORDER: IMMEDIATE.]
My phone rang.
It wasn't Sae. It wasn't Ayaka.
The Caller ID said: "Hunter Association HQ - Priority Line."
I stared at the phone.
(I'm F-Rank. Why are they calling me?)
Then I remembered. The viral video. The "Sovereign" who killed a boss with a finger. The man who scared a fire mage into a coma.
They didn't think I was F-Rank. They thought I was Japan's secret weapon.
And now, there was an S-Rank threat.
"Master," Runa whispered, looking at the TV, then at me. "They need you."
I looked at the giant monsters on the screen. I looked at my trembling hands that couldn't even handle a hug.
(I just wanted a nap.)
I picked up the phone.
"Amagiri speaking," I said, my voice sounding much braver than I felt.
"Mr. Amagiri," a desperate voice crackled on the other end. "This is the Chairman. We have a Code Black. We are authorizing a blank check. Please... tell us you're in Tokyo."
I looked at Runa's hopeful face.
I looked at the notification from the System.
[New Quest: The Savior of Shinjuku.] [Reward: Cure for 5% of Mana Void.]
Five percent.
I sighed.
"I'm here," I said into the phone. "Try not to die before I finish my coffee."